Fremont Infusion Therapy Center - Advanced Cancer Care Fremont

In 2011, nearly 6,000 Alameda County residents will be diagnosed with cancer, which is equivalent to more than 16 new cases a day. At least 2,100 will die of the disease and there will also be more than 50,000 survivors, including those continuing treatment or receiving follow-up care and support after remission. Altogether, this group will account for nearly 4 percent of the county population – or 15,000 more than currently reside in the city of Newark. Although cancer incidence and mortality rates are generally decreasing – due mostly to increased public awareness and early detection efforts – the total number of cases in Alameda County is still expected to double in the next 20 years.

Since 1984, the Palo Alto Medical Foundation’s Fremont campus has provided family-centered healthcare for residents of the East Bay. Our new Infusion Therapy Center, located in a remodeled 3,584-square-foot space is the first infusion therapy facility in the Fremont service area and has substantially expanded cancer care services for our East Bay patients.

What is Infusion Therapy?

Infusion therapy refers to medicine administered through a needle placed in the vein. Used to treat cancer and other diseases, infusion therapy encompasses a wide range of treatments, including traditional chemotherapy, advanced biologic treatments, intravenous antibiotics, and blood transfusions. Infusion centers enable doctors of different specialties to administer intravenous medicine to their patients on an outpatient basis.

Rising Demand

Many people in the Fremont/Dublin service area rely on infusion therapy for various cancer treatments. At PAMF, the demand for these services has increased by 20 percent annually since 2005 and projections estimate that it will continue to grow by 8 percent each year through 2025. Furthermore, it is estimated that by 2020 nearly 2,000 PAMF patients from this area will require chemotherapy services. Currently, PAMF infusion centers are available to Alameda County residents only in Palo Alto, Mountain View and Santa Cruz. As a result, nearly 600 people travel an inconvenient distance every year while undergoing chemotherapy– which is often exhausting and time consuming. Still, many others choose to visit centers not affiliated with PAMF’s cancer program because they may offer some services closer to home. These are, however, often disconnected from the patient’s overall care plan and team.

Highlights of the New Infusion Therapy Center

Eight infusion stations

Five exam rooms

Two physician offices

Four nursing and manager offices

Chemotherapy mixing room

Learn More

PAMF has completed phase one of the project, which enabled the center to open in April 2010 with limited service – three infusion stations and some exam space. Since then, the center has accommodated nearly 5,000 patients. We now seek community support to raise the additional funds needed to build the center to its full capacity – and further expand the availability of chemotherapy and many other infusion services. It is expected that the center will accommodate more than 25,000 infusion therapy visits by 2020. For more information on how you can support this project, please contact Lisa Scoffield, regional director of corporate and foundation relations, at 650-691-6279 or e-mail scoffil@sutterhealth.org.